NPS file photo of the Great Sand Dunes
For 50 years, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has applied dollars from offshore mineral royalties to supporting public lands conservation and state and local parks. It has been a remarkably successful program, and its benefits aren't limited to environmental values. The Outdoor Industry Association has found that active outdoor recreation generates $13.2 billion in consumer spending in my home state of Colorado, along with 125,000 jobs generating $4.2 billion in wages and salaries, and produces $994 million annually in state and local tax revenue.
Despite its track record of success, as of today (August 11), the LWCF is now 50 days away from expiring - if Congress fails to reauthorize the program. A proposal from Senators Cantwell (D-WA) and Murkowski (R-AK) for reauthorization has passed out of Senate committee on a bipartisan basis, but ultimate passage is far from a sure thing - Majority Leader McConnell actively politicked against it and got 3 Republicans to reverse their votes when it was on the verge of passing the Senate previously on a bipartisan proposal from Senators Bennet (D-CO) and Burr (R-NC), causing the effort to fail by only one vote.
To highlight why reauthorizing LWCF is so critical, I'm planning to share a series of diaries over the next month on some of the places it has helped protect. First up: The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.
Home to the tallest dunes in North America, the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (designated in 2000 - previously a National Monument) harbors a diverse landscape of grasslands, shrublands, wetlands, conifer and aspen forests, alpine lakes, and tundra. The setting is spectacular from the dune fields to the 14,000 foot peaks of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, and also features unique Medano Creek which flows from the mountains and then along the dune field before going to ground and seasonally (usually May) has "surge flow" where waves up to about 18 inches high flow down across the sand.
Along with Baca National Wildlife Refuge, the Great Sand Dunes has benefitted from extensive acquisitions supported through the LWCF. More than 115,000 acres have been added to the Park since its creation.
If you enjoy these pictures - and the value LWCF provides for wild places as well as our community parks closer-to-home - please call your Senators and Representative, or attend one of their public events during the recess, and urge them to vote for reauthorization of LWCF.
And now for the pictures, which speak more eloquently than I ever could. Apart from the two images noted as from NPS, these photos were taken by RMHigh and friends:
The dunes rise hundreds of feet from the surrounding grassland, while the Sangre de Cristos tower behind.
Hikers cross the sand flats toward High Dune which towers nearly 700 feet above.
Shrubs & trees line riparian areas next to the dune field and adjacent grassland
Mosca Creek supports a riparian oasis in an arid climate, flowing from Mosca Pass to join with Medano Creek
Flowering cacti are among the desert vegetation
The Park & Preserve also protects pristine alpine environments like this scene near Music Pass
Hiking in to the Sand Creek watershed from Music Pass
Anglers & backpackers enjoy the remote Sand Creek Lakes
Catching & releasing a Rio Grande cutthroat trout; work is underway to restore this native fish throughout the Sand Creek basin
Back to the dunes; at this time Medano Creek is not flowing
The same location, this time with kids playing in the "surf" of Medano Creek (this photo is from NPS)
Wind forms creases across the sand dunes
Storm clouds gathering around the dunes - NOT a good place to be in a thunderstorm, so time to head for cover
The sun sets on the Great Sand Dunes. Please help make sure it doesn't set on LWCF, which has protected these treasured lands.